Apparatus for the ventilation of cooling plants



A ril 18, 1933. A; L. THOMSON 1,904,570

APPARATUS FOR THE VENTILATION OF COOLING PLANTS Filed Ilarch 15, 1929 Ar/bur Lindsay Thomson W Afxa'me Patented Apr. 18, 1933 barren srA rssj ARTHUR, LINDSAY THOMSON, 0! mm.

DETUDE Ell, DEXPLOITA'IION DAJPABEILB IRIGORIFIQUES OF AHTWEBP, BELGIUK, A COMPANY APPARATUS ronrmi vmr'rrmrron or cocaine 1 3m" Application filed. Harsh 15, 192e, Serial at.

My invention has reference to cooling plants and it relates in particular to movable plants or units ior the trans ortation oi perishable goods. The object c this invention is to provide an eficient method and means for regulating the ventilation or the cold storage room or chamber and the humidification of the atmosphere in said room, so that the conditions most favourable to the preservation of any desired kind of goods can always be obtained and maintained.

It is well known that the preservation of perishable food depends not only on the surrounding temperaturebut also on the composition of the atmosphere and in particular on its degree of moisture which as to be varied according to the nature of the goods to be preserved. It is necessary therefore that the cold storage chambers be ventilated with moist air and it has already been proposed to circulate air introduced into said chambers in contact with water or with ice in order to cause it to absorb a certain degree of moisture. This method, however, does not permit of an accurate regulation and it is not suitable for transportable plants where the presence of water in large amounts always gives rise to dificulties.

In my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 347,258 of even date, I have describeda method of ventilating cold storage rooms and preserving at all times a suitable degree of moisture in such air, while avoiding the inconveniences stated above, which consists in passing the air, on its way to the storage room, over ice in contact with the pipes, coils or the like, through which circulates the cooling medium used for refrigerating said room.

I have found that in some cases the natural humidity of the atmosphere can be relied upon to supply the ice necessary formoistening the ventilation air, and in accordance with my present 'lnventlon I cause this air to flow in a confined space in contact smaaasna in Belgium November 3, 1m

and this ice melting superficially under the 1 In this case, however, it

the latter the formation of an external coating of ice only takes place when their temperature has become sufliciently low.

According to an embodiment of my invention which is of particular advantage for' use in railway cars, the fan sucks air from the cold storageroom through a central conduit extending longitudinally of said room,

.at the top thereof, while the air driven bythe fan is directed through parallel side conduits over the refrigerating pipes and/or over the cold accumulators located on either side of the suction conduit. 7

The air inlet and outlet openings in the cold storage room are preferably staggered to avoid any short circuit, the arrangement being such that the air cooled by its contact with therefrigerating pipes will sink into the storage room while the air heated by its contact with the stored goods rises towards the central conduit. The same air can be used over and over again and circulate, for some time at least, in a closed circuit, and air purifying means then may be interposed in or branched on the circuit.

In the accompanying drawing I have diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, an apparatus of this kind applied to a refrigerator car.

Fi 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on line I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the broken line IIII of Fig. 3.

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections respectively on lines -III III and IV.IV of Fig. 1.

' In the drawing 1 is the cold storage room which extends over nearly the whole length of the car and has heat insulated walls 2 and roof 3. At the top of this room are the refrigerating pipes 4 through which circulates a liquid having a low boiling point, such as liquid aonia, su plied by suitable refrigerating apparatus lhot shown). As shown, the pipes 4 extend through brine tanks 5 acting as cold accumulators.

' The pipes 4 and brine tanks 5 are located under the roof 3 in longitudinal compartments 6 formed between a central longitudinal passage or conduit 7 and two side conduits 8. The conduit 7 is connected with the suction side 9 of a fan 10 which, in the example illustrated, is driven by an electric motor 11 and mounted in'a heat insulated chamber 12 located at one end of the car. The fan 10 drives the air through the outlet 13 into the delivery passage 14 on which are branched the two conduits 8.

From. the conduits 8, the air passes into the compartments 6 through side openings 15 and after having circu ated in contact with the exposed surfaces of the pipes 4 and tanks 5, it enters the storage room 1 through openings 16 in the bottom of the compartments 6. The openings 16 may be provided with dampers or the like, herein shown in the form of louvres 17 in order to control the flow of air from the compartments 6 into the room 1.

In the bottomof the central conduit 7 are provided suction openings 18 which are preferably staggered with respect to the openings -16'so that the cold air issuing from the openings 16 will not be influenced by the suction through the openings 18. As shown the openings 15, 16 and 18 may convenientl be distributed over substantially the w ole length "of the room 1.

. When the refrigeratin Y erated, the pipes 4 quick y get covered with ice and likewise the tanks 5, when the temperature of the brine has been lowered sufiioiently, such ice bein formed at the cape of the moisture in the com aratively warm surroundin atmosphere. driven by the fan throng the conduits 8 is. cooled in the compartments 6 and absorbs more or less forms on the surface of the ice. The cold air sinks through the openings 16, circulates in the storage room 1, and asit absorbs heat from the stored goods, it rises until it is sucked through the openings 18 into'the "conduit 7.

- y varying the speed of delivery of the fan 10 and, if required, by the.

louvres 17, the ventilation of the storage room and the degree of moisture of the air can'be regulated at will. Any excess melting water is collected in 'ldri pans lit sus pended, under the pipes 4 an tanks 5, from cross bars-v20 supporting the conduits 7 and 8. Additional means may be provided if desired in order to control the dew oi sir apparatus are opneonate throh the opegs l5 and 318, and elies made in the construction and arrangement of the apparatus descrihed, without departcla: lla In a cooling plant, the combination of a cold storage room, compartment in said room, refrigerating pipes "in said compartment, an air supply conduit adjacent said compartment, a series of passageways be tween said conduit and said compartment, a series of passageways between said compartment and said room, means for controlling the passageways of one of said series, and means for b owing air into said supply pipe at a controllable rate. A i

2. In a cooling plant, the combination with a cold storage room, of a compartment at the top of said room "extending longitudinally thereof, refrigerating pipes in said from the scope of the appended claims compartment, an air conduit paralelto said compartment and connected therewith through openings, said compartment having bottom apertures opening into saidroom,

and means for blowing air through'said air conduit.

3. In a cooling plant, the cbmbination with a cold storage room, of a compartment at the top of said room extending longitudinally thereof, refrigerating pi in said compartment, an air conduitadgacent and parallel with said compartment and connected therewith through side openings, said compartment having bottom apertures opening into said room, an electric fa n, said conduit being connected to the pressdre side of said fan, and another conduit connecting said room with the-suction side of said fan.

4% In a cboling plant, the combination with a cold stora e room, of a compartment at the top of sai room, refrigerating pipes in said compartment, cold accumulators 1n said compartment in contact with said pipes,

an air conduit adjacent said com artment,

said compartment communicating th with said conduit and with said room, and means for sending a re lable current of air through said conduit and said compartment into said room 5. In a cooling plant, the combination with a cold storage room, of an air suction conduit extending .longitudinall of said room at the top thereof, air sup y conduits extending parallel to said suction conduit on either side thereof and spaced apart therefrom, refrigerating pipes in the spaces comprised between said 'su ply conduits and said suction conduit,sai supply conduits having openings facing said pipes, and an electric having itspres'sure and suction sides respectively connected with said supply conduits and said suction conduit in testimony whereof I ailix my signature,

ARTHUR LINDSAYTHOMSON. 

